Method for mounting plastic garnish for painting on-line

ABSTRACT

A garnish for a vehicle body including a plastic exterior skin and a metal reinforcement member. The garnish is installed on the vehicle for coating or painting and then the garnish and the vehicle body are sent through a bake oven to cure the coating or paint. After exposure to the bake oven, the garnish is removed from the vehicle body for installation of a headlight assembly. The garnish is then reinstalled on the vehicle body after the headlight assembly is installed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

A method and apparatus for mounting a body part on a vehicle body forpainting. In particular, a reinforcement member is connected to anexterior skin of the body part to prevent sagging of the body partduring manufacture and subsequent use of the vehicle.

Description of Related Art

A vehicle body is the shell to which body parts of the vehicle areattached. Portions of the vehicle body that are easily visible after thevehicle is fully assembled include, for example, the A-pillar, thevehicle roof, and the areas surrounding the hood, doors, and trunk. Bodyparts typically include exterior vehicle components that are bolted ontothe vehicle body. These body parts, which are non-integral to the bodymay include, for example, plastic garnishes, bumpers, fenders, grilles,passage doors, and fuel doors.

Traditional body parts may be made of a plastic derivative or of metal.Plastic body parts and metal body parts each have inherent advantagesand disadvantages. For example, while the plastic body parts may beformed into many more shapes than the metal body parts, the plastic bodyparts are prone to bending when a force is applied to them. This isundesirable to the owner of the vehicle and may cause the vehicle ownerto have negative feelings about the vehicle. Specifically, the owner maybelieve that the vehicle is made with defective or low qualitycomponents. Further, plastic body parts are more sensitive to elevatedtemperatures that can occur during the vehicle manufacturing process, aswill discussed hereinafter. On the other hand, while metal body partsare sturdy, a metal body part typically weighs more than the equivalentplastic body part. As such, the fuel economy for vehicles with asignificant number of metal body parts is reduced. Metal body parts alsomay rust or corrode, thereby detracting from the appearance of thevehicle. Accordingly, a vehicle made of both metal and plastic bodyparts is desirable for a variety of reasons.

During the manufacture of a vehicle, vehicle bodies and body parts arecoated during a series of steps as they are conveyed along a coatingline. This coating may be traditional spray painting, or may be forexample, an electro-static coating. These coating steps include applyinga primer to prepare the respective surfaces of the body and body partsfor painting, applying a base coat for adding color to the body and bodyparts, and applying a clear-coat that functions as a protectant for thebody and body parts.

In between these coating steps, the vehicle body and body the parts arepassed through bake ovens. In the bake ovens, heated air is directedtoward the body and the body parts. The bake ovens ensure that thecoatings applied to the body and the body parts are adequately dried.

When the body and the body parts are made of different materials, thereare usually separate bake ovens for baking the body and the body parts.The separate bake ovens are usually operated at dissimilar temperatures.Furthermore, the amount of time that the coated body and coated bodyparts are in the different bake ovens can be altered to affect theamount of heat that is exposed to the coated body and coated body parts.For example, the coated body may be baked by exposure to a hightemperature for a short period of time. Alternatively, the coated bodypart may be baked by exposure to a low temperature for a long period oftime.

The body parts and the body that are made of dissimilar materials areseparately passed through the bake ovens because of differences in theheat tolerances of the materials that make up the body and body parts.For example, the vehicle body is made of steel, and the body parts aremade of some derivative of plastic. The steel vehicle body may beexposed to a much higher temperatures in the bake ovens than the plasticbody parts. Unfortunately, there are several unintended consequences ofpreparing the parts in this separate manner.

Since the vehicle body and the body parts are separately coated andbaked, there can be an appearance mismatch between the vehicle body andthe body parts. Specifically, because of lot to lot variation in coatingingredients and exposure to different baking conditions, the vehiclebody and the body parts can have different appearances due to color andfinish differences. The body and body parts may have slightly differentcolor hues after being coated, the amount of sheen of the clear coat maybe different, and/or the respective surfaces may have different levelsof smoothness. As the body and the body parts are usually assembled sothat they border each other, any appearance difference is easilydetected and thus, undesirable.

Furthermore, additional labor is required when the vehicle body and thebody parts are separately coated. The body parts must first be coatedand then later assembled with the vehicle body. As such, to be coated,the body parts are attached to a jig to be fed through the coating lineand then removed from the jig after completion of the coating. Then, thebody parts are installed on the vehicle body.

Accordingly, it is considered apparent why it is not desirable toseparately coat the vehicle body and body parts. However, numerousdifficulties are also encountered when the vehicle body and body partsare coated and baked as a single entity. For example, as mentionedhereinbefore, the vehicle bodies are usually made primarily of some formof steel and the body parts can be made of a material different thansteel, such as, for example plastic. When the combined body and bodyparts are coated and baked together, difficulties arise during thebaking process.

The body parts, which are preferably made of plastic, are not typicallyas tolerant of high temperatures as the body that is made of steel. Assuch, damage can occur to the body parts when the body and body partsare jointly baked at a higher temperature. Primarily, any body part thathas a horizontal section is especially susceptible to sagging of thebody part. Sagging is not only an appearance defect, but can also causemisalignment issues. For example, if the body part is located near thevehicle hood and headlight opening, the sagging body part can preventopening/closure of the hood.

Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a body part that is madefrom a plastic material and is tolerant of the increased temperatures ofa bake oven that is traditionally used for metal vehicle bodies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a vehicle body part that has aplastic exterior skin, and is reinforced by a metal reinforcementmember.

In accordance with the present invention, the body part is removed fromthe vehicle during installation of a headlight assembly and thenreinstalled during final assembly of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and further features of the invention will be apparent withreference to the following description and drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a body part installed on a vehicleaccording to the present invention with the body part in a finalposition;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the body part;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the body part;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the body part;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the body part installed in thevehicle before installation of a headlight assembly;

FIG. 6 is an additional side sectional view of the body part installedin the vehicle after installation of the headlight assembly;

FIG. 7 is perspective view of the body part installed on the vehicle,with the body part in an initial position;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the dotted lines 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIGS. 1-8, the present invention is directed toward avehicle 10 including a body 12 and body parts 14. The body 12 includes abulkhead 16 with a pivot pin 18 and a headlight assembly 20 with a lens22. The body parts 14 include a hood 24, fenders 26, a bumper 28, agrill 30, and a garnish 32. The garnish 32 is comprised of an exteriorskin 34 and a reinforcement member 36. The exterior skin 34 has a fascia38, a top wall 40, locating tabs 42, an underside 44, and a doghouse 46with vertical walls 48 and a bottom wall 50. The reinforcement member 36includes a support plate 52 with a front edge 54 and a back edge 56, apivot extension member 58, an attachment extension member 60, a pivotarm 62 with a pivot hole 64, and an attachment arm 66 with initial andfinal position holes 68, 70. Mounting holes 72 are disposed near theback edge 56 of the reinforcement member 36. J-clips 74 attach thereinforcement member 36 with the exterior skin 34.

As is known in the art, body 12 and body parts 14 of the vehicle 10 arecoated/painted before delivery of the vehicle 10 to a vehicle owner. Inparticular, as mentioned hereinbefore, a primer is applied to preparethe respective surfaces of the body 12 and body parts 14 for painting, abase coat is applied to add color to the body 12 and body parts 14, anda clear-coat is applied that protect the body 12 and body parts 14 fromdegradation due to environmental exposure. Alternatively, the vehiclebody 12 and body parts 14 can be coated with an electro-static coating.After each application of the primer, the base coat, and the clear coat,the vehicle body 12 and body parts 14 are cured with a bake oven (notshown). The bake oven directs heated air toward the body 12 and bodyparts 14 and ensures that the coatings applied to the body 12 and bodyparts 14 are adequately dried. To facilitate electro-static coating ofthe garnish 32, a grounding strap (not shown) may be attached to thereinforcement member 36 of the garnish 32. However, it is preferablethat the exterior skin 34 of the garnish 32 be of a material that iselectrically conductive. Thus, the need for the grounding strap iseliminated.

As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the bulkhead 16 is a structural assemblythat strengthens the vehicle 10 and provides an area to which variousvehicle components are attached. As such, the bulkhead 16 extendsgenerally across the entire width of the vehicle 10 (e.g. between thefenders 26). The bulkhead 16 can be of various types of wall-likeconstruction, as is known in the art. The headlight assembly 20, thefenders 26, the grill 30, and the garnish 32 are attached to thebulkhead 16. Accordingly, the bulkhead 16 receives several fasteners forattachment of these components 20, 26, 30, 32. The fasteners maydirectly threadingly engage the bulkhead 16 or weld-nuts attached to thebulkhead 16 may engage the fasteners to secure the components 20, 26,30, 32.

As is shown in FIG. 7, the pivot pin 18 extends upward from the bulkhead16 and is of a hexagonal shape; however, other shapes such ascylindrical, are contemplated and possible. The pivot pin 18 is sized soas to be received within the pivot hole 64 of the reinforcement member36. It is considered apparent that the pivot pin 18 could alternativelybe a fastener that would permit pivotal engagement between the bulkhead16 and the reinforcement member 36.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, the headlight assembly 20 is of commonconstruction and is of a generally rectangular box shape. Traditionally,the headlight assembly 20 has a reflective rear surface to reflect lightoutward through the headlight lens 22. The headlight lens 22 islaterally curved between the grill 30 and the fender 26 and ispreferably transparent. In addition, the hood 24, fenders 26, bumper 28,and grill 30 are well known in the art.

The garnish 32 generally extends between the grill 30 and the fender 26in the horizontal direction. In the vertical direction, the garnish 32extends between the headlight lens 22 and the hood 24. The garnish 32 iscomprised of the exterior skin 34 and the reinforcement member 36, asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. While the present invention primarilydiscusses the reinforcement member 36 and the exterior skin 34 as theyapply to the garnish 32, it is understood that the present invention isequally applicable to other vehicle body parts. Particularly, thepresent invention is beneficial with any body part that has a generallyhorizontal portion. As mentioned hereinbefore, the generally horizontalportion of a plastic body part is more susceptible to sagging whenheated in a baking oven than a vertical portion of the plastic bodypart. Furthermore, the present invention is illustrated as being on aright side of the vehicle 10, as viewed from the front. However, it isunderstood that the present invention is equally applicable to a leftside of the vehicle 10.

As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the exterior skin 34 of the garnish 32extends between the grill 30 and the fender 26 with a lateral curve. Thelateral curve of the exterior skin 34 has a same or similar curvature asthe headlight lens 22. When looking at the vehicle 10 from a frontperspective, the fascia 38 of the exterior skin 34 is verticallyinclined toward the vehicle 10 when extending between the headlightassembly 20 and the top wall 40. The top wall 40 is generally horizontaland extends between the fascia 38 and the hood 24 along a length of thevehicle 10. With particular reference to FIG. 4, the locating tabs 42are disposed on a side of the garnish 32 that is adjacent the fender 26.The locating tabs 42 primarily engage the fender 26 and provide a secureattachment between the garnish 32 and the fender 26.

FIG. 3 illustrates the doghouse 46 that is disposed on the underside 44of the exterior skin 34. Specifically, the doghouse 46 includes the twonearly parallel vertical walls 48 that extend downward from theunderside 44 of the exterior skin 34 to the bottom wall 50. The bottomwall 50 is generally horizontal and acts to connect the two verticalwalls 48. The doghouse 46 receives the J-clip 74 of the reinforcementmember 36 that is of common construction. While the garnish 32 isillustrated with two doghouses 46, either one or several are alsopossible and contemplated.

The J-clip 74 receives a threaded fastener that attaches the exteriorskin 34 and the reinforcement member 36. Specifically, the J-clip 74 isof a generally J shape and includes a threaded hole (not shown) toreceive the fastener. The J-clip 74 functions so as to reinforce thedoghouse 46 and provide a robust hole to receive the threaded fastener.Alternatively, it is contemplated and possible to connect the exteriorskin 34 and the reinforcement member 36 without the doghouse 46 or theJ-clip 74. Instead, any number of commercially available fasteners wouldbe acceptable.

As is best shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcement member 36 has, in general,a Z shape. The reinforcement member 36 laterally extends between aportion of the grill 30 and the fender 26 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and7. The support plate 52 horizontally extends from the front edge 54 tothe back edge 56. As illustrated, the front edge 54 has a slight curve;however the front edge 54 could be straight or differently shaped.

As is best shown in FIGS. 3-4, after the support plate 52 extendsrearwardly to the back edge 56, the pivot extension member 58 and theattachment extension member 60 extend vertically downward. The pivot arm62 and the attachment arm 66 horizontally extend away from the frontedge 54. Both the pivot arm 62 and attachment arm 66 have rounded ends,but other shapes are possible.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, the pivot hole 64 and the initial and finalposition holes 68, 70 vertically extend through the pivot arm 62 and theattachment arm 66, respectively. The pivot hole 64 is disposed near anend of the pivot arm 62 that is distal to the back edge 56. The initialposition hole 68 is disposed near an end of the attachment arm 66 thatis distal to the back edge 56, whereas the final position hole 70 isdisposed near an end of the attachment arm 66 that is proximal to theback edge 56. The pivot hole 64 and the initial and final position holes68, 70 allow the garnish 32 to be attached to the vehicle 10 beforecoating/baking, then removed, and then later reinstalled on the vehicle10 during final assembly. As will be discussed hereinafter, when thegarnish 32 is mounted by the initial position hole 68, the garnish 32 isspaced from the vehicle 10. Alternatively, when the garnish 32 ismounted by the final position hole 70, the garnish 32 is nearly flush.

FIG. 1 illustrates the garnish 32 in the final position. The finalposition is characterized by the pivot pin 18 extending through thepivot hole 64 and a fastener extending through the final position hole70 into the headlight assembly 20 and the bulkhead 16. Alternatively,FIGS. 7-8 shows the garnish 32 in the initial position. The initialposition is characterized by the pivot pin 18 extending through thepivot hole 64 and a fastener extending through the initial position hole68 and the bulkhead 16. When comparing the initial position versus thefinal position of the garnish 32, it is considered clear that thegarnish 32 is spaced from the vehicle 10 when in the initial position.Because of this, coating/painting of all sides of the garnish 32 can beaccomplished, thereby resulting in an improved aesthetic appearance ofthe garnish 32.

The mounting holes 72 vertically extend through the support plate 52near the back edge 56. At final assembly, fasteners extend through themounting holes 72 for engagement with the bulkhead 16 and headlightassembly 20, further contributing to the structural stability of thegarnish 32 as shown in FIG. 7.

With reference to FIGS. 1-8, and with particular attention to FIG. 9, amethod of the present invention is illustrated. While it is consideredapparent that the garnish 32 and vehicle 10 may be assembled in manydifferent ways, the following is provided to generally describe onepreferred method or sequence of assembly. In Step 100, the reinforcementmember 36 is attached to the exterior skin 34 to create the body part14. In particular, a fastener extends through a hole in the J-clip 74that is attached to the doghouse 46 of the exterior skin 34 andthreadeningly engages the reinforcement member 36. Then, the body part14 is installed on the vehicle 10 (Step 110) when the pivot pin 18, thatextends from the bulkhead 16, is received in the pivot hole 64 of thepivot arm 62 of the reinforcement member 36 and a fastener extendsbetween the initial position hole 68 of the attachment arm 66 and thebulkhead 16. In Step 120, the body part 14 and the vehicle 10 arecoated. Then, the body part 14 and the vehicle 10 are baked in thebaking oven (Step 130) at a temperature that is above a traditionaltemperature for plastic only body parts 14. Step 140 includes removingthe body part 14 from the vehicle 10 by removing the fastener thatextended between the initial position hole 68 and the bulkhead 16. Step150 involves installing the headlight assembly 20 into the vehicle 10.Finally, the body part 14 is reinstalled on the vehicle 10 (Step 160)when the pivot pin 18 is received in the pivot hole 64 of the pivot arm62 of the reinforcement member 36 and a fastener extends between thefinal position hole 70 of the attachment arm 66 and the bulkhead 16.

The present invention offers numerous advantages over the known art. Forexample, a body part with a plastic exterior skin can be fed through abake oven at the same time as a metal vehicle body without a concern ofsagging of any horizontal sections of the body part because ofoverheating. Further, the paint/coating can be cured at a highertemperature than would typically be used with plastic components.Because of this, the baking process takes less time. The metalreinforcement member 36 also prevents deflection of the body part 14during use of the vehicle 10 by the vehicle owner. The metalreinforcement member 36 may also provide a suitable location forattachment of a grounding strap if the body part 14 is electrostaticallycoated. However, as mentioned hereinbefore, it is preferable that theexterior skin 34 of the garnish 32 be of a material that is electricallyconductive. Thus, the need for the grounding strap is eliminated.

Because of the layout of the pivot arm 62, the attachment arm 66, thepivot hole 64, the initial position hole 68, and the final position hole70, the present invention also provides that the garnish 32 can betemporarily installed onto the vehicle 10 before the coating/bakingstep. As described hereinbefore, this temporary installation isaccomplished with the pivot pin 18 extending through the pivot hole 64of the pivot arm 62 and a fastener extending through the initialposition hole 68 of the attachment arm 66. After the coating/bakingstep, the garnish 32 is removed for installation of the headlightassembly 20. Then, the garnish 32 is reinstalled onto the vehicle 10.This is accomplished with the pivot pin 18 extending through the pivothole 64 of the pivot arm 62 and a fastener extending through the finalposition hole 70 of the attachment arm 66. All of this occurs withoutadditional components. Furthermore, the present invention teaches thatthe reinforcement member 36 is used during the coating process and thenis also used in the final assembly of the vehicle 10, with no jig beingrequired during the coating step.

As described hereinabove, the present invention solves many problemsassociated with previous type devices. However, it will be appreciatedthat various changes in the details, materials and arrangements ofparts, which have been herein described and illustrated in order toexplain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in theart without departing from the principle and scope of the invention, asexpressed in the appended claims.

1. An exterior garnish for use on a vehicle and disposed above aheadlight assembly, comprising: a metal reinforcement member thatextends laterally between a vehicle fender and a vehicle grill,including: a support plate that extends horizontally rearward from acurved front edge to a back edge, a pivot extension that extendsdownwardly from the back edge, a pivot arm that extends horizontallyfrom the pivot extension and away from the back edge, wherein a pivothole in the pivot arm is disposed for pivotal engagement with a pivotpin of the bulkhead, an attachment extension that extends downwardlyfrom the back edge, and an attachment arm that extends horizontally fromthe attachment extension and away from the back edge, wherein fastenersvertically extend through at least one of an initial position hole and afinal position hole in the attachment arm for engagement with thevehicle bulkhead and the headlight assembly; and a plastic exterior skinthat extends laterally between the vehicle fender and the vehicle grill,including: a fascia that extends vertically upward, and a top wall thatextends horizontally from the fascia, wherein the plastic exterior skinis adapted to receive the metal reinforcement member and be connected tothe metal reinforcement member with fasteners.
 2. The exterior garnishof claim 1, wherein locating tabs extend from the exterior skin forengagement with the vehicle fender.
 3. The exterior garnish of claim 1,further comprising: a doghouse structure disposed on an underneath sideof the top wall, wherein the doghouse structure includes two generallyparallel walls that extend downward from the underneath side of the topwall to a bottom wall that is generally horizontal.
 4. The exteriorgarnish according to claim 3, wherein J-clips attach to the bottom wallof the doghouse so as to threadingly engage the fasteners extendingbetween the reinforcement member and the exterior skin.
 5. The exteriorgarnish according to claim 1, wherein the initial position hole isdisposed near an end of the attachment arm that is distal to the backedge.
 6. The exterior garnish according to claim 1, wherein the finalposition hole is disposed near an end of the attachment arm that isproximal to the back edge.
 7. The exterior garnish according to claim 1,wherein said fascia has a lateral curve so as to match a curvature of aheadlight lens of the headlight assembly.
 8. A vehicle body part,comprising: a metal reinforcement member, including: a support platethat horizontally extends rearward from a curved front edge to a backedge, a pivot extension that downwardly extends from the back edge, apivot arm that horizontally extends from the pivot extension and awayfrom the back edge, an attachment extension that extends downwardly fromthe back edge, and an attachment arm that extends horizontally from theattachment extension and away from the back edge; and a plastic exteriorskin, including: a fascia that extends vertically upward, and a top wallthat extends horizontally from the fascia, wherein the plastic exteriorskin is adapted to receive the metal reinforcement member and beconnected to the metal reinforcement member with fasteners.
 9. Thevehicle body part of claim 8, wherein locating tabs extend from theexterior skin.
 10. The vehicle body part of claim 8, further comprising:a doghouse structure disposed on an underneath side of the top wall,wherein the doghouse structure includes two generally parallel wallsthat extend downward from the underneath side of the top wall to abottom wall that is generally horizontal.
 11. The vehicle body part ofclaim 10, wherein J-clips attach to the bottom wall of the doghouse soas to threadingly engage the fasteners extending between thereinforcement member and the exterior skin.
 12. The garnish according toclaim 8, wherein the initial position hole is disposed near an end ofthe attachment arm that is distal to the back edge.
 13. The garnishaccording to claim 8, wherein the final position hole is disposed nearan end of the attachment arm that is proximal to the back edge.
 14. Amethod of installing a vehicle body part onto a vehicle body, comprisingthe steps of: attaching a reinforcement member to an exterior skin tocreate the body part; installing the body part on the vehicle body;coating the body part and the vehicle body together; baking the bodypart and the vehicle body together in a baking oven; removing the bodypart from the vehicle body; installing a headlight assembly into thevehicle body; and installing the body part on the vehicle body.
 15. Themethod of installing the vehicle body part of claim 14, furthercomprising: attaching a grounding strap to the reinforcement memberbefore the step of coating the body part and the vehicle body.
 16. Themethod of installing the vehicle body part of claim 14, wherein anelectrostatic coating is used for the step of coating the body part andthe vehicle body.
 17. The method of installing the vehicle body part ofclaim 14, wherein spray paint is used for the step of coating the bodypart and the vehicle body.
 18. The method of installing the vehicle bodypart of claim 14, wherein during the step of baking the body part andthe vehicle body, the baking oven is operated at a temperature at whicha body part without the reinforcement member would be negativelyaffected in terms of appearance.